Evening News Report: Indian national killed in Saudi Arabia in Iran war; rupee falls to all-time low of 93.71 against the US dollar More

Here are the top 5 stories of the day:

Indian national dies in Saudi Arabia, embassy offers support to family; MEA says 6 deaths so far

Following developments on March 18, an Indian national died in Riyadh, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said in an official statement. The embassy said it was in contact with the deceased’s family and local authorities and was providing all necessary assistance. It also expressed its condolences, adding that it was coordinating closely with Saudi officials on the matter. Read more

Sri Lanka says it refuses US request to land warplanes and remains neutral in Iran war

President Anura Kumar Dissanayake said Sri Lanka earlier this month rejected a U.S. request to deploy two military aircraft at a civilian airport in the south of the island. He said Washington proposed moving two missile aircraft from a base in Djibouti to Mattala International Airport. The request was made on February 26 but rejected in order to maintain Colombo’s neutrality and ensure that its territory would not be used to aid or hinder either side in the conflict. Follow real-time updates

Air India sends ‘wrong’ Boeing 777 to Canada from Delhi, asked to return over China

An Air India flight bound for Vancouver was forced to return to New Delhi on Thursday after being in the air for nearly nine hours despite avoiding conflict zones in the Gulf. The shift occurred because the airline deployed the wrong aircraft for the route. Although Air India has been approved to operate its Boeing 777-300ER on Canadian routes, it mistakenly sent a Boeing 777-200LR flight as a fully loaded AI 185 flight, which was not authorized to enter Canadian airspace. After more than four hours of flight, the error was discovered when the plane arrived near Kunming. Read more

West Bengal elections: Mamata releases TMC poll manifesto,

Mamata Banerjee has released her party manifesto for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. She unveiled 10 ‘Protigya’ schemes for the state, laying out a roadmap focusing on welfare and development for a possible fourth term. Banerjee said in a post on Follow real-time updates

Rupee slips 82 paise to all-time low of 93.71 against US dollar as crude oil prices surge

The Indian rupee tumbled 82 paise (nearly 1 per cent) against the US dollar on Friday to settle at a record low of Rs 93.71 (provisional) as global crude prices surged amid continued foreign fund outflows and rising geopolitical tensions. Currencies remain under heavy pressure as soaring energy costs and a broad shift in risk aversion dent investor sentiment, currency traders said. Ongoing geopolitical uncertainty has also fueled concerns that rising oil prices could widen India’s trade deficit and add to inflationary pressures. Read more